Adam Morrison
Adam Morrison (born July 19, 1984 in Glendive, Montana) is an American basketball player who played for Gonzaga University and is likely to be a high pick in the upcoming 2006 NBA Draft. Morrison, who was a junior in the 2005-06 season, was considered one of the top players in college basketball, alongside Duke's J. J. Redick. Morrison was a favorite to win the Naismith and Wooden "Player of the Year" Awards. He was named Co-Player of the Year with Redick by the United States Basketball Writers Associationhttp://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2390779 and won the 2006 Chevrolet Player of the Year award. The NBA As of April 19, 2006, Morrison has officially entered the 2006 NBA Draft.http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2006/news/story?id=2414304 Reputable mock drafts project Morrison being taken among the top five picks overall. http://www.nbadraft.net Early years Morrison's father John Maney is a basketball coach and was the head coach at Dawson Community College in Glendive when Adam was born. The family moved with John's coaching career, first to Mitchell, South Dakota (Dakota Wesleyan University, a small four-year school) and then to Casper, Wyoming (Casper College, a junior college). When Adam was in the fourth grade, the family moved to Spokane. He was first exposed to Gonzaga basketball in elementary school when he served as the team's ball boy. During his eighth-grade year he lost 30 pounds (14 kg) and was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. However, his illness did not keep him from becoming a star at Mead High School in Spokane. In his senior year he broke single-season and career scoring records in his high school conference, and led Mead to the finals of the state tournament. Despite playing in the final game with hypoglycemia so severe that he nearly suffered seizures, he scored 37 points in a losing effort. Mead's only loss that season. Despite his accomplishments, Morrison was not heavily recruited out of high school, with Gonzaga the only Division I school to strongly pursue him. He has recently been named to the USA team for the world championship. Gonzaga He arrived at Gonzaga in 2003, averaging 11.4 points per game in the 2003-04 season and being named to the West Coast Conference's All-Freshman first team. In his sophomore year he averaged 19.0 ppg and made the All-WCC first team, as well as being named an honorable mention All-American. Morrison began the 2005-06 season with a bang. In Gonzaga's first two games at the Maui Invitational, one of the most prestigious early-season tournaments in the sport, Morrison had huge scoring nights against two of the sport's top programs. In the first round, Morrison scored 25 points in a Zags win over Maryland. He followed up this performance with 43 points in a triple-overtime win over Michigan State in the semifinals. He matched that output against in-state rival Washington December 4, 2005, in a losing effort. However, Morrison and the Zags bounced back a week later, defeating Oklahoma State after he banked in a three-pointer with 2.5 seconds left to give Gonzaga a two point lead and eventually the win. In the regular season, he had 13 games of 30-plus points, with five of them over 40. At 28.8 points per game, he was the nation's leading scorer in 2005-2006. His scoring totals against teams in the so-called "major" conferences are no less impressive; he is averaging 28.5 points in 11 such games. On February 18, Morrison recorded a career high 44 (including 37 in the second half alone) points against Loyola Marymount Lions in a winning effort. Morrison's strengths include his ability to score both near and far from the basket as well as his notorious competitiveness. This competitiveness may have hindered the necessary teamwork in the Zags' loss to UCLA. Morrison led the Zags with 24 points in a 2006 NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen match against UCLA; despite the Zags' loss in the final seconds. Morrison fell to the floor on his knees and began to weep with 2.6 seconds left in the game. Arron Afflalo of UCLA helped him up in a classy move. This was Morrison's last college basketball game, considering his decision to join the NBA. Diabetes Morrison, who fanatically controls his diabetes to the point of eating exactly the same meals at the same time on game days, is considered a role model in the Inland Empire and beyond for children with the disease and their families. During his freshman year at Gonzaga, Morrison and his life with diabetes were a subject of a five-page article in Sports Illustrated. On the first day that the issue appeared in retail outlets, more than 50 parents of diabetic children contacted the Gonzaga athletics department asking if Morrison could speak to their children. In Morrison's first collegiate season he garnered more national attention for being diabetic than for his gameplay. Though in the years since, his performance has outpaced his condition in notability. Off the court, Morrison regulates his blood sugar with an insulin pump attached to his abdomen. Personal *Musical interest: Rage Against the Machine and X-Raided *Friends with former Duke University basketball star and top NBA prospect J.J. Redick & Notre Dame star wide receiver Jeff Samardzija. *He watches videos of Larry Bird to mold his game. *Is an avid reader and, although he denies that he is a communist, says one of his idols is Che Guevara after a project in the 8th grade. *Always eats steak and baked potatoes 2 hours and 15 minutes before a game. *Is an avid player of Drake of the 99 Dragons. *In his dorm he has four posters: a Che Guevara poster that quotes "Hasta La Victoria Siempre" (Always until victory); a Larry Bird poster that quotes "DETERMINATION"; a poster of his favorite rock band, Rage Against The Machine; and a poster of Karl Marx. *After choosing to go into the NBA Draft, Morrison soon was seen around campus driving a Range Rover. Quotes *"I've never said, 'I have diabetes, so I can’t bust my ass on this play.'" (2003 Interview with Sports Illustrated, 1) *"I don't consider myself a communist, I just like to see the other-side-of-the-fence point of view." *"They're trying to look like me, so I take it as a compliment." he said of an opponent's cheerleaders wearing fake moustaches to mock his own. External links *Official Gonzaga profile * Adam Morrison NBA Draft Profile *Adam Morrison NBA Draft Scouting Report *Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl: Morrison could be best player in college basketball *[http://www.billingsgazette.com/newdex.php?display=rednews/2004/03/18/build/sports/20-morrison.inc Billings Gazette article on Morrison's early years] *[http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051224/SPORTS/512240318/1006 Great Fall Tribune article] documenting the Morrison family's roots in rural Scobey, Montana *"Morrison sending message about his diabetes", Andy Katz, ESPN.com, February 10, 2006 *Morrison Scouting Report By Jeff Fox- Collegehoops.net Morrison, Adam Morrison, Adam Morrison, Adam Morrison, Adam Morrison, Adam Morrison, Adam Morrison, Adam Morrison, Adam Morrison, Adam